Steaming Down the Track
in California · centroid 5 mi from San Francisco
The trail here is the bed of an old railroad line. In the early days of its development as a recreation destination, Lands End was far removed from San Francisco proper. To make it easier for people to make the trek, a steam powered railroad line was developed along 33rd Avenue from the intersection of California Street and Presidio Avenue.
Its final terminal was above the Cliff House, near the parking lot below the USS San Francisco Memorial. The train ran from 1886 to 1905, when the steam powered streetcars were replaced by electrified transportation.
- States
- California
- Trail type
- National Recreation Area trail
- Centroid nearest city
- San Francisco, CA · 5 mi · ~10 min drive
- Centroid coords
- 37.7823°, -122.5116°
About Golden Gate National Recreation Area
This trail is inside Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a national recreation area managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/000/steaming-down-the-track.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/goga/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Steaming Down the Track and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
San Francisco Crosstown Trail - Hiking - Section 5
1 miles from this trail's centroid
San Francisco Crosstown Trail - Hiking - Section 4
2 miles from this trail's centroid
San Francisco Crosstown Trail - Hiking - Section 3
3 miles from this trail's centroid
San Francisco Crosstown Trail - Hiking - Section 2
4 miles from this trail's centroid
The Barbary Coast Trail
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Alcatraz Agave Trail
6 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.